By BRAD WONG, P-I REPORTER

Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, October 24, 2006

A swarm of yellow jackets went wild Wednesday morning and stung high school students in Renton after at least one pupil stepped on a nest big enough to fill a five-gallon bucket.

The yellow jackets left their stingers in 44 students at Liberty High School, said Sara Niegowski, spokeswoman for the Issaquah School District, which has jurisdiction over the campus.

While some students were only stung once, others were hit multiple times. Niegowski described the yellow jackets as "very irritated" and said there was a "fair amount of swatting and running."

But no pupil was taken to the hospital. One yellow jacket, though, stung a student in the lip. The yellow jackets started their attack around 9:30 a.m. when the senior class was looking for places to take commemorative photographs.

The approximately 300 seniors were outside near the football field to have commemorative photographs taken when the unfortunate encounter took place.

Some yellow jackets ended up in the students' clothing. "They formed up and hit wherever they could," said Niegowski.

School administrators told the students to go to the nurse's office. The Renton Fire Department dispatched emergency crews, and the students later went to the campus lunchroom. They were given ice for their stings.

By late Wednesday morning, most of the students had returned to class. But the school let students who were feeling pain or trauma go home. A few did.

The school will write a letter to the parents or guardians of the students who were attacked to inform them of the incident.

The school's principal also was planning to make an announcement about the attack on Wednesday.

In addition, the school will notify parents and community members through its e-mail distribution list.

After the attack, a beekeeper showed up on campus to remove the nest. "As far as I know, he came, dug it up and took it away," said Niegowski. "It filled up a five-gallon bucket. It was rather large."

Niegowski, who visited the campus, said many seniors view the incident as a unique experience - and not a tragedy.

Many, she added, are talking about making a T-shirt that says: "We survived senior picture 2007."

"It stung, quite literally," she said. "But I think the kids are taking it in a very good way. It was kind of a unifying experience."